What You Need To Know: Hermitage Golf Course By Brian Weis

What You Need To Know: Hermitage Golf Course

An Insightful Interview With Ashley Cottrell, President

By Brian Weis

Whether you have played a course 20+ times a year or looking to play the course for the first time, insights from an insider can help enhance your golf experience. Below is an interview with Ashley Cottrell who shares some valuable tidbits about the course, memorable holes and must eats and treats at the 19th.

Give Our Readers An Overview of the Golf Course/Property
Situated minutes from downtown Nashville, the Hermitage Golf Course offers luxurious golfing at one of the state's premier public courses.

The President's Reserve, designed by architect Denis Griffiths (designer Atlanta's Chateau Elan Resort Courses), trails through 300 acres of natural Tennessee wetlands and along the banks of the beautiful Cumberland River. Playing up to 7200 yards, the President's Reserve can offer any golfer as much challenge as one might desire, yet be a pleasurable golfing experience for the occasional golfer.

The General's Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, hosted the LPGA Sara Lee Classic from 1988 to 1999. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River and a variety of tee placements, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality Hermitage Golf Course has to offer.

Roaming both courses are the renowned Scottish Blackfaced sheep that joined the Hermitage Golf Course in 2012. What started with 12 ewes and 1 ram have now grown to more than 45. These friendly sheep roam the course year round and if you're lucky enough, you may find yourself right beside the herd.

If Someone Was Looking To Golf In The Area, Why Should They Play Your Course?
Since 1986, Hermitage Golf Course has established itself as the best in Tennessee public golf. With two 18-hole champion-level courses, Hermitage provides a high-quality golf experience and welcomes golfers of all levels. Golfers love to come out here because it offers a great challenge on a well-designed, highly conditioned golf course, all for an incredible price.

What Tips or Local Knowledge Would You Provide To Help Them Score Better At Your Course?
We all know how much drivers are beloved, but you don't have to hit driver off every tee box, especially on General's Retreat. The fairway is more important than length on General's. General's is also more of an approach shot golf course so you've got to position yourself off the tee box well.

The President's Reserve can be altogether more demanding.

For both 18's, play the appropriate tees. You have incredible opportunities and unique viewpoints from any length but to make it the most enjoyable, play what works for you.

Above all else, arrive early and get ready for a day of fun golf!

Any recent changes to the golf course? Or any upcoming changes?
We are excited to show off the bunkers on President's Reserve that have been refurbished and upgraded for an even better golf experience. We also added in new drainage to help with the softness of the course.

Recent Awards or What You Are Most Proud About The Course?
- #1 Rated public course in the state by Golf Digest
- Top public course in state as rated by PGA.com
- 4-1/2 Star Rating - Golf Digest Magazine's highest award in Tennessee
- ESPN Zagat Survey - "America's Top Golf Courses"
- Tennessean Newspaper's Toast of the City - "Best Public Course"
- Travel and Leisure Golf - "One of America's 200 Best Golf Courses for $100 or Less."
- Golf For Women's "50 Best Courses for Women"
- Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International

What Is The Signature, Most Talked About, or Most Photographed Hole?
It is so hard to pick just one hole! But #11 on President's Reserve is absolutely iconic.

What Is Your Favorite Hole? Any Tips to Play It?
I love #16 on General's Retreat. It's a par 5 but what make it fun are all the options. The green is tricky and leaves a lot for creativity when considering your strategy for the hole. It's tough, but definitely reachable in 2.

Must Have Dish or Drink after the round at the 19th Hole?
Run by an outstanding team of chefs and bartenders, the Hickory Sticks Grill is ready to serve golfers and their families. From traditional bar items to seared salmon and steak, the Grill has golfers covered for all their needs, on and off the course. My personal favorite dish to eat at the end of the day is our grilled salmon, but on days when I'm on the go I always grab the My Bleu Chicken.

For the traveling golfer, do you have lodging onsite or partner with any area hotels?
The Hermitage Golf Course offers eight luxurious cottages overlooking the course. With a private putting green, bunker area and fire pit, our lodging gives some of the best views of the property. The cottages are available year-round, offering easy access to many of the course amenities. Each cottage features a great room, two bedrooms (2 queen beds in each), kitchenette, two bathrooms and a screened porch.

Who Holds Course Record and What Was Their Score?
President's Reserve
Name: Blain Turner and John Leverton
Score: 62

General's Retreat
Name: Blain Turner
Score: 60

More Information
Hermitage Golf Course
3939 Old Hickory Boulevard
Old Hickory, TN, 37138
615-847-4001

More Information »

Revised: 02/21/2023 - Article Viewed 5,631 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.